MPBL champion CourtKings return to Comet Gym on Saturday
CLUTCH COURTKING: Cedar Valley CourtKing guard Andre Hicks drives to the basket during last year’s exhibition game against the Wisconsin Game Changers at Comet Gym. Hicks, who was the Midwest Professional Basketball League Playoff MVP in 2016 after leading the CourtKings to their first MPBL title, and the rest of the team will return to Comet Gym on Saturday where they will again take on the Game Changers in an exhibition.
By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — Successful basketball teams usually draw from a source of gilded inspiration.
The Final Four-bound Loyola Ramblers have team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt.
The Cedar Valley CourtKings had Rashad Carrington.
Early into their rookie season with the Midwest Professional Basketball League, the CourtKings — owned by Charles City couple Gary and Marla Rima — got off to a rough start. After dropping their first two games, the CourtKings lost their starting point guard — Carrington — in a fatal automobile accident.
The team managed to bounce back from the tragedy while dedicating the remainder of the season in Carrington’s honor. Then following a common Hollywood script, the CourtKings got on a roll to turn their season around on way to winning the inaugural MPBL title.
And they haven’t stopped winning, since.
The CourtKings repeated as MPBL champions last season while going undefeated (19-0).
Before opening up the 2018 season at home — Cedar Valley Sportsplex in Waterloo — 7:30 p.m. April 8 against the North Minneapolis Eagles, the CourtKings will play an exhibition at 3 p.m. Saturday (March 31) at Charles City High School’s Comet Gym against the Wisconsin Game Changers.
“The Game Changers were part of the league’s Branding Division last season,” Gary Rima said. “They advanced to the Branding Division championship game, and now they have been officially added to the league.”
The two teams played an exhibition last spring at Comet Gym before the regular season.
The Midwest Professional Basketball League has grown to 18 teams from 14 of last year. There are four divisions: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest. The CourtKings are in the Northwest Division.
“We’ve been looking pretty good,” Rima said of his team, which recently had a tryout camp to determine roster spots.
Returning from after helping the CourtKings win their first two MPBL titles is former Northern Iowa star Anthony James.
Other CourtKing returners include MPBL Rookie of the Year Raheem Tyner, 2016 MPBL Playoff MVP Andre Hicks, William Penn NAIA All-American forward Brady Burford, and 7-foot center Isaiah Cotton.
From the American Basketball Association, a semi-pro league not affiliated with the ABA that merged with the NBA, the CourtKings have picked up 6-foot-9 frontliner Johnny Jackson and 5-foot-10 guard David Stanley.
“We also added another guard … Marcus Smith,” Rima said of the Milwaukee native and former Dakota State University star, who played briefly with the Indianapolis Blaze of the Central Basketball Association.
Michael Mohlis returns as the CourtKings’ head coach after helping the team repeat last season, which was his first at the helm. Billy Campbell serves as the CourtKings associate head coach.
Though it’s a long shot for any MPBL player to be picked up by the NBA, the league has helped numerous players secure professional contracts overseas — including several current and former CourtKing players.
“This a chance for people to get a good look at some real good players before our quest for a third title,” Rima said.
Doors open at 2 p.m. Admission for students with a student ID is $1. Regular admission is $5. Children ages 5 and under get in free.
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